Monday, October 5, 2015

Raising Caine - Charles E. Gannon

Raising Caine

Charles E. Gannon

Baen, Oct 6 2015, $17.00

ISBN 9781476780931

After successfully preventing the Arat
Kur and Hkh’Rkh alliance from conquering his home world Earth and
stopping his angry retribution-seeking Consolidated
Terran Republic Terrans from committing genocide against their enemies, Caine
Riordan anticipates a respite. Observing
what happened in the recent war, another Arat
Kur ally the Ktor believes the Terrans are very weak when they failed to
eradicate their defeated opponents.

Instead of R&R, a diplomacy opportunity arises when the much
more advanced Slaasriithi, impressed by the Terran’s display of controlling the
urge of retaliatory mass executions, request Caine to come to their planet to
discuss a pact. As Caine and his entourage
journey to the meeting, Ktor operatives plan to destroy the Terrans’ first
diplomat and his retinue to prevent their adversary from obtaining a powerful
though peaceful ally; unaware how deadly first contact with the Slaasriithi can be.

The third Caine Riordan Tales of the Terran Republic military science
fiction (see Fire With Fire) is a superb first contact entry, but this time
with a friendly yet deadly species rather than a belligerent adversary; though
there is plenty of the latter too. Less
of a political statement than Trial By Fire, the keys to this enjoyable outer space
adventure are the various species that make up the Gannon universe seem real
and the protagonist’s wise ability to recognize that each race requires
different means of customized diplomacy as one size fits one sentient people
only.